MANGALURU (Metro Rail News): Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has said efforts are under way to merge Konkan Railway with Indian Railways, but the timeline remains uncertain because the merger needs the approval of the chief ministers of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala.
Speaking to reporters at Mangaluru International Airport on Thursday night, Vaishnaw said the Union government and the four state governments are stakeholders in Konkan Railway, and that he had requested the chief ministers of all four states to approve the merger proposal, Mangalore Today reported.
Mangaluru-Bengaluru line doubling
Vaishnaw said administrative approval has been given for a survey and preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for doubling the railway line between Mangaluru and Bengaluru, and the work is under way.
He acknowledged the engineering challenges of doubling the track through the Western Ghats and said the project had been redesigned after taking into account the difficulties faced while building the existing line. Lessons from the steep gradients on the present route are being built into the new plan so that the second track has a gentler slope and avoids operational problems.
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Referring to the new Vande Bharat service linking the coast with the state capital, he said it had required overcoming several geographical and technical challenges, including structural modifications on the steep ghat sections, changes to track electrification and customised train configurations.
Rs 27,000 crore of projects in Karnataka
Responding to Karnataka Industries Minister M B Patil’s allegation that the state had been treated unfairly in the allocation of railway projects, Vaishnaw dismissed the claims as baseless. He said railway projects worth around ₹27,000 crore are under way in Karnataka, along with sanctioned bullet train projects, multiple Vande Bharat and Vande Bharat Sleeper services and extensive station redevelopment works.
| Information | Details |
| Konkan Railway stakeholders | Government of India and the governments of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala |
| Merger status | Needs approval of the four chief ministers; timeline uncertain |
| Mangaluru-Bengaluru doubling | Administrative approval for survey and DPR; work under way |
| Railway projects under way in Karnataka | About ₹27,000 crore |
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